§ 12. Mr. P. Williamsasked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to bring to the notice of individual firms or of trade associations the criticisms made to the Minister of State in his recent tour regarding the type of goods required in Canada and the dates of delivery, with a view to improving British exports to that country.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftConsiderable publicity has been given to the statements made by my right hon. Friend on the 1396 importance of making prompt deliveries and of adapting designs to Canadian tastes when developing exports to Canada. These matters are constantly brought to the attention of individual firms and trade associations.
§ Mr. WilliamsWill my right hon. Friend agree that publicity is not enough—that individual representation to individual firms of any shortcomings that may be reported are of much more help than generalisations?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI agree that representations to individual firms are important, and indeed they are undertaken in particular cases. I should like to add that it is often the falling down of a few individuals which gives a bad reputation where the general level of performance is very high.